Recovery guide
Direct Laryngoscopy Recovery Guide
Worried about a symptom? See when to call usQuick answer: After direct laryngoscopy, expect a sore throat, mild hoarseness and some discomfort with swallowing for a few days. Eat soft foods for 2 to 3 days, or until swallowing is comfortable, drink plenty of fluids, and use over-the-counter pain medicine. Most people return to work or school within 24 to 48 hours. If biopsies were taken, we review the results at your follow-up visit.
Recovery at a glance
- Days 1 to 2A sore throat and mild hoarseness. Most people return to work or school.
- Days 2 to 3Soft foods until swallowing is comfortable, then your usual diet.
- Within a few daysHoarseness from the breathing tube usually improves.
What should I expect?
Direct laryngoscopy is an examination of the throat and voice box under anesthesia, with biopsies if needed. Afterward, expect:
- A sore throat for a few days.
- Mild soreness of the lips, gums or tongue, and sometimes temporary tongue numbness, from the scope used during the procedure.
- Mild hoarseness or voice changes. Hoarseness from the breathing tube usually improves within a few days. If something was removed from a vocal fold, your surgeon will tell you what to expect.
- Some discomfort with swallowing at first.
How do I take care of myself?
- Wait until you are fully awake and any numbness in your throat has worn off before eating or drinking.
- Eat soft foods for 2 to 3 days, or until swallowing is comfortable, then move back to your usual diet.
- Drink plenty of fluids: aim for about 60 ounces (7 to 8 cups) a day unless you have been told to limit fluids.
- Avoid heavy coughing and throat clearing.
- Do not smoke or vape until your surgeon confirms you have healed. Smoking slows healing and raises the chance of infection; quitting for good helps most.
How should I manage pain?
Most people have mild to moderate pain that over-the-counter medicine controls well. Acetaminophen and ibuprofen together work better than either one alone.
- Acetaminophen (Tylenol): 1,000 mg every 6 hours, no more than 4,000 mg in 24 hours (or 3,000 mg if your package says so, or if you have liver problems or drink alcohol regularly).
- Ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin): 400 mg every 8 hours with food, or naproxen (Aleve): 1 tablet (220 mg) every 8 to 12 hours with food, no more than 3 tablets in 24 hours. Skip them if you have a stomach ulcer or kidney disease, or if your surgeon told you not to take them.
- If we prescribed medicine, take it exactly as directed.
- If you take aspirin or a blood thinner, follow your surgeon’s instructions on when to restart it.
When can I go back to work?
Most people can return to work or school within 24 to 48 hours.
- After anesthesia: for 24 hours, do not drive, drink alcohol, use machinery or sign important papers. After general anesthesia, we recommend having an adult stay with you the first night.
When will I get my results?
If biopsies were taken, we review the results at your follow-up visit.
When should I call?
Call us for
- A temperature of 101°F (38.3°C) or higher that lasts more than 24 hours or starts 3 or more days after the procedure, or any temperature of 102°F (38.9°C) or higher. Use a thermometer, and check it just before the next dose of acetaminophen or ibuprofen, because both lower fever.
- Throat pain that gets worse or becomes severe
- Hoarseness that is not clearly better after 1 week (if nothing was removed from a vocal fold), or any hoarseness that is getting worse
- Coughing or vomiting up more than light streaks of blood
- Signs of not drinking enough: peeing less than every 8 hours, dark yellow pee, a dry, sticky mouth, dizziness when standing, or being unusually sleepy or hard to wake. Call us the same day if you notice these, or if pain keeps you from drinking.
Call 911 or go to the ER for
Any trouble breathing, or noisy or high-pitched breathing. Coughing or vomiting up a lot of blood. If your esophagus (food pipe) was also examined: chest pain, severe pain with swallowing, or a fever.
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Questions patients ask
Most people can return to work or school within 24 to 48 hours.
Hoarseness from the breathing tube usually improves within a few days. If something was removed from a vocal fold, your surgeon will tell you what to expect. Call us if hoarseness is not clearly better after 1 week (if nothing was removed from a vocal fold), or if it is getting worse.
The scope used during the procedure can leave the lips, gums or tongue mildly sore, and the tongue sometimes numb for a short time.
Wait until you are fully awake and any numbness in your throat has worn off. Then eat soft foods for 2 to 3 days, or until swallowing is comfortable, and move back to your usual diet. Drink plenty of fluids.
If biopsies were taken, we review the results with you at your follow-up visit.
This guide is for educational purposes only and does not replace an in-person evaluation. If your surgeon gave you different instructions, follow theirs.
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Sources
- Yamanaka H, Hayashi Y, Watanabe Y, et al. Prolonged hoarseness and arytenoid cartilage dislocation after tracheal intubation. British Journal of Anaesthesia. 2009;103(3):452-455. doi:10.1093/bja/aep169
- Sørensen LT. Wound healing and infection in surgery. The clinical impact of smoking and smoking cessation: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Archives of Surgery. 2012;147(4):373-383. doi:10.1001/archsurg.2012.5